PCHS Bulletin – Brooklynn Deckman
Date Published – May 21, 2026
The PCHS Lady Bulls Softball team is States bound once again!
With home victories against the Sunlake Seahawks (3-0), Mitchell Mustangs (3-0) and Land O’Lakes Gators (1-0), the Lady Bulls hoisted their fourth consecutive regional trophy on Thursday, May 14, their ticket to the state tournament held in Longwood, Florida on May 22-23.
In the regional championship, Cassidy Ott’s (Jr.) hit at the bottom of the first inning led Kyndal France (Jr.) to score the lone run of the game, but that didn’t give the Lady Bulls much breathing room. The Gators handed the Bulls a strikeout at the bottom of the sixth inning, preventing them from scoring again with the bases loaded.
The Bulls, with a one run lead, sent out star pitcher Emmaline Van Beck (Jr.) to close the game, and she did so admirably with three straight outs against three straight batters, topping the cake with one last strikeout to send the Lady Bulls to Longwood as Class 6A Region 3 champs.
Van Beck, who committed to Florida International University in November, put together three complete games in the regional round, including in the regional title game, pitching three shutouts in a week of regional play.
Head Coach Erin Spivey, speaking to ABC7 after the game, credited "Team7’s” hard work with a difficult schedule that squared them against some of the best teams in the state.
“I gave them a challenging schedule this year,” she stated. “We were on the road a lot, we played some of the toughest teams in the state. For it to all start coming together and for them to realize this is why we do things and to go after our goal of a state championship, I couldn’t be more proud.”
The Lady Bulls were sent off to Longwood prior to the spring football game against the Southeast Seminoles and take on the Pace Patriots in the state semifinals on Friday, May 22.